Students of Boyce College, if you hear me yelling “Westside” randomly in the hallway, this post explains why. It’s my own jubilant tribute to some lyrical madness that Dr. D. A. Carson laid down on a track for Curtis “Voice” Allen. I don’t know how he did it, but somehow “Voice” got Dr. Carson’s voice in a rap about the Westminster Catechism. Dr. Carson’s big line is “Westside!” (which I suppose corresponds to “Westminster” somehow). Download here or listen below. [audio:http://sgm.edgeboss.net/download/sgm/cjblog/voice-westminster.mp3] Thanks to C. J. Mahaney for posting the audio. This is solid gold! (HT: Justin Taylor)
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Jane Russell (1921-2011)
You have probably heard the news by now that Jane Russell—a legend of the silver screen—has passed away. What you may not have known (at least I didn’t) is that she was a professing Christian. Christianity Today has a fascinating interview with Ms. Russell from 2009 in which she discusses being a Christian in Hollywood, her gospel singing career, and her pro-life advocacy. She even shares a personal story about her own near death experience after having an abortion as a young woman. Here’s an excerpt:
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Another Afghan Christian Faces Execution
Another Afghan convert is facing possible execution for his Christian faith. His name is Shoaib Assadullah, and he is 23 years old. Michael Foust has done some excellent reporting on this story, and I hope and pray that it will help to focus attention on Shoaib’s case. Intense international scrutiny led to the release of Said Musa last week. Let’s pray that the same might happen for brother Shoaib. Michael Foust has printed a translation of the entire text of a letter that was smuggled out of Shoaib’s prison cell. I reprint that letter in full below. After you read the letter, please pray for Shoaib. Pray that he might…
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Al Mohler on the Rob Bell Flap
Mohler calls Bell’s video a “theological striptease” that deserves a response. From Mohler’s website today: “We must await the release of the full book in order to know what Rob Bell is really saying, but his advance promotion for the book is already saying something, and it is not good. The material he has already put forth does demand and deserve attention. “The Emerging Church movement is known for its slick and sophisticated presentation. It wears irony and condescension as normal attire. Regardless of how Rob Bell’s book turns out, its promotion is the sad equivalent of a theological striptease. “The Gospel is too precious and important to be commodified…
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CNN interviews Justin Taylor
Taylor’s response to Rob Bell’s book has received a quarter of a million hits since Saturday, according to a report on CNN’s religion blog. Obviously, this is an unusually enormous response to a blog post. I think it speaks both to the influence of Taylor’s own blog, but also to the wide following that Rob Bell has—which is all the more reason that a pastoral response like Justin’s was needed. No one should relish controversy for controversy’s sake. But that is not what is happening here. On that note, if you haven’t done so yet, you need to read Kevin DeYoung’s follow-up piece on the Rob Bell brouhaha. He argues…
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Rob Bell Outs Himself
False teachers are often described as wolves in sheep’s clothing. Eventually, every wolf loses the disguise. It looks like that is exactly what Rob Bell has done in his new book set to be released next month, Love Wins: A Book About Heaven, Hell, and the Fate of Every Person Who Ever Lived. I have had the opportunity to read the preface and the first couple of chapters, and it appears that Bell has embraced some form of universalism—the belief that every person eventually inherits eternal life. Perhaps he is leaving the door open for some kind of annihilationist perspective. In any case, he has jettisoned the doctrine of hell…
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Said Musa Has Been Released
International Christian Concern (ICC) is reporting that Said Musa has been released from his captivity in Kabul, Afghanistan. He had been imprisoned for converting to Christianity from Islam, a crime punishable by execution. Thankfully, aggressive international diplomacy behind the scenes paid-off, and I could not be more grateful to receive this news. Thank you, Lord, for answering our prayers. From the ICC report:
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Update on Said Musa
Bob Smietana of The Nashville Tennessean reports that things are looking up for Said Musa, a Christian imprisoned in Kabul, Afghanistan who is under threat of execution for his conversion to Christianity (read my earlier post). Smietana says that Said’s wife and children have already fled the country, that Said has been moved to a safer prison, and that the Afghan authorities are feeling the pressure from American officials to release Said himself. Smietana’s report appears in this morning’s edition, and here’s the latest on Said’s situation:
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Tim Keller on “Morning Joe”
“Morning Joe” is my favorite talking-head program, and Tim Keller is one of my favorite pastors. So I was glad to see that Keller made an appearance on the program Friday morning. Keller discussed idolatry and the sermon that he is preparing for Sunday morning. One interesting tidbit: Scarborough is a Southern Baptist by tradition (as I am), but he reveals in the clip above that he attends Keller’s Presbyterian church from time to time. I am grateful for Keller’s faithful ministry in NYC. God is using him in a difficult field. [Keller appeared at least one other time on “Morning Joe.” It was two years ago, and you can…
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Pray for Said Musa
If you haven’t done so already, please pray for Said Musa who awaits execution in a prison in Kabul, Afghanistan. His crime? Converting to Christianity from Islam. Said Musa is married and the father of six young children. He has been a Christian for eight years. Compass Direct News reports: “In the two-page letter, a copy of which Compass received in late October, Musa addressed Obama as ‘brother’ and pleaded with the international community: ‘For [the] sake [of the] Lord Jesus Christ please pray for me and rescue me from this jail otherwise they will kill me because I know they [have] very very very cruel and hard hearts.’